Car.



F. R. STEHM.

GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Jan. 17, 1911.

P, R. STEHM. OAR.

- APPLIUATIQNIPILED JAN. 27, 1908. 982,103, Patented Jan.- 17, 1911.

3 BHEBTSSHEET Z.

Ff. R. STEHM.

. CAR.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 27,1908.

- Patented Jan. 1'7, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

wziirdesses.

FRANK R. STEI-IM, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA.

GAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1911.

Application filed January 27, 1908. Serial No. 412,817.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK R. STEHM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, haveinvented a certain new and useful Car, of which the following is aspecification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a car, having in itsconstruction a series of racks designed to support articles which shouldbe kept separate from each other, owing to the likelihood of their being damaged by contact with each other, and further to provide racks, sosupported, constructed and arranged relative to each other that they maybe maintained in a folded position.

A further object is to so construct the mechanism for supporting theracks in an elevated or folded position that they may be readilyunfolded one at a time, commencing with the lowermost to a positionabove the frame of the car where they can be loaded readily while therest of the racks are maintained in their elevated or folded position;that is, each rack is filled before the one above it is lowered toreceive its load.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth,

pointed out in my claims and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is a side elevation of my car with the racks in theposition in which they stand when loaded. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe car with the racks elevated and folded in which position they aremaintained before receiving their loads. Fig. 3 is an end elevation(with the upper part of the end of the car broken away to show theconstruction of the opposite end) showing the racks on one side of thecar lowered and loaded, and the racks on the opposite side of the carelevated and folded. Fig. .4 is the end piece of one of the racks whichis used in all ex cept the uppermost rack on each side of the car, and Fig. 5 is the end piece of the uppermost rack on each side of the car.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I haveprovided a truck having a frame comprising two end pieces 10 and 11 andtwo side pieces 12 and 13 preferably made of channel iron, rigidlysecured together by bolts. Extending longitudinally of the frame, andsubstantially parallel with its sides are two longitudinal braces 14 and15 secured at their end portions to the ends of the frame. These bracesserve the double function of assisting in the maintenance of the partsof the frame rigidly together, and also of forming a rest for thepallets or boards which support the articles when placed upon the car;that is, these braces 14 and 15 and the sides 12 and 13 serve thefunction of two of the racks, hereinafter described, and thus permit allof the space in the car to be utilized.

The frame is mounted on four wheels, two of which are mounted on each ofthe axles 16 and 17. The axle 16 is mounted in roller bearings 18secured to the sides 12 and 13 of the frame and near the end piece 10thereof. The axle 17 is mounted in the bearings 19, secured to the sides12 and 13 of the frame and near the end 11 of it. On account of theconstruction of the bearings, axles and wheels, the car may be placedupon a track and easily moved from place to place.

Secured to the end piece 10 of the frame of the car and extendingupwardly therefrom is an upright 20, designed to support one corner ofeach rack. Extending through the sides of the upright are two series ofcircular openings 21 and 22, designed to receive the lug or bearing atthe inner corner of one end of each rack, as shown clearly in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings. At the other end of the frame, and extending upwardly fromthe central portion of the end piece 11 is an,

upright 23, designed to support the opposite inner corner of each rack,from that supported by the upright 20.

Extending through the sides of the upright 23 are two series of openings2 1 and 25, each opening being formed circular at its upper end andangular at its lower portion and adapted to receive the lug whichsupports the opposite corner of each rack from that supported by theupright 20 in such a way that when the lug is in the circular portion ofthe opening, the rack may be raised or lowered, and when the rackreaches its elevated position, the lug which forms its bearing, willdrop into the angular portion of the opening, and the rack will bemaintained at its upper limit of movement as shown in the right side ofthe View shown in Fig. 3.

Connecting the upper ends of the uprights 20 and 23 is an adjustable rod26. Connecting the upper end of the upright 20 with the lower end of theupright 23 is a brace rod 27. Connecting the lower end of the upright 20with the upper end of the upright 23 is a brace rod 28. These rods 26,27 and 28- are designedto rigidly support the uprights 20 and 23 inposition relative to each other.

Pivotally mounted between the uprights 20 and 23 are the two series ofracks, hereinbefore referred to, which are designed to receive thematerial to be transferred by these cars. Each rack comprises an outsidebar 29 and an inside bar 30, which I have rigidly secured to their endsthe end pieces 31 and 32. Each end piece 31 and 32 has in itsconstruction a leg 33 which is designed to rest upon either the frame ofthe machine or the end piece immediately beneath it. The body portion ofeach end piece is enlarged at 34 to support the leg of each end pieceimmediately above it, and this body portion is secured to the leg 33some little distance below the point of attachment of the leg to theside piece 29, and the inner end of the body portion of this end pieceis bent upwardly to form a point of attachment for the rear side piece30.

Integral with the bent up portion of the body of the end piece is ashank 35 having an angular extension 36 on it, which has two roundedsurfaces, and two fiat surfaces, the flat surfaces being substantiallyparallel with each other. The extensions 36 of the end pieces 31 and 32are designed to enter the openings 21 and 2 1 respectively on one sideof the frame, and the openings 22 and 25 respectively on the oppositeside of the frame, so that the racks may be swung on these extensions,the circular portion of the openings 24 and 25 being so arranged thatthe extensions will swing freely in them as well as in the openings 21and 22, until the rack reaches its upper limit of movement, when theextensions 36, which enter the openings 24 and 25, will fall into theangular portions of these openings, and the rack will be maintained inits elevated posit-ion.

The curved portion of the end pieces 31 and 32, caused by bending up theinner ends of these end pieces is considerably greater in those endpieces which are nearest the bottom of the series of racks, and thecurved portion is diminished somewhat; that is, the angle is madesharper as the top of the car is approached to provide for perfectnesting, or folding together of these parts relative to the uprights, asshown clearly in Fig. 3. In the uppermost racks, the body portion of theend pieces is made perfectly straight, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, andthe legs are attached to the under side of the end pieces.

In the practical use of the device, and assuming that all of the racksare in their elevated position, as shown in Fig. 2, of the drawings, andthat it is desired to fill these racks with bricks or other material, inthe way in which it is to be ordinarily used, the operator has thebricks or other material preferably placed upon a pallet or board 37, aseries of which boards are laid in a row upon the side of the frame 12,andthe brace 14, assuming that this side of the car is tobefilled'first. When the space provided by the side 12 and the brace 14has been filled, as shown in Fig. 3, the rack immediately above it iselevated slightly at one end, so that the pivotal extension 36 is drawnout of the angular portion of the slot 2 1 into the curved portionthereof, so that the rack may be lowered into position where a series ofboards or palletswith brick thereon may be laid on the side pieces ofthe rack 29 and 30, until this rack has been filled, when the operationis repeated as to the rack above it, and so on until the racks on oneside of the car have been filled, when the other side may be loaded. Inuse, however, it is customary to fill both sides of the car at the sametime, one man working on one side, and one on the other, to load the caras quickly as possible. The construction of the car is particularlyadapted for such use. In removing the objects; namely by the racks, thereverse operation is perfomed; that is, the uppermost rack is elevatedafter the articles upon it have been removed, and is maintained in anelevated position while the racks below in succession are beingunloaded.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, therefor is 1. In a device of theclass described, a truck, a series of racks pivotally mounted on thetruck with their pivotal points in substantially vertical alinement,said racks being of such shape that when they are in their elevatedposition, each will be substantially vertical, and the pivotalconnections of racks be so arranged that each may be swung from itshorizontal position to a vertical position and when it reaches thevertical position it is automatically secured in this position.

2. In a device of the class described, a truck, a support connected withthe truck, a series of racks pivotally mounted in said support andarranged to stand substantially parallel with each other in asubstantially horizontal position and also being so ar ranged as tostand approximately in line with each other vertically when in theirelevated positions, and means'for supporting the outer ends of each rackin proper position relative to the rack beneath it.

3. In a device of the class described, a truck, supports carried by thetruck, a series of racks pivotally mounted on said supports, the pivotalpoints of said rack being substantially in vertical alinement with eachother, and each rack being so shaped that, when they are in theirelevated positions, each will be substantially vertical, and means forsupporting the outer ends of each rack when swung to a horizontalposition, said racks so arranged that they may be swung down, one at atime to receive articles to be placed upon it, and so arranged that eachone of the racks may be swung from a horizontal to a vertical positionseparately for the purposes stated. 7

-l. In a device of the class described, a truck, supports carried by thetruck, a series of racks pivotally mounted on said supports, the pivotalpoints of said rack being substantially in vertical alinement with eachother, and each rack being so shaped that, when they are in theirelevated positions, each will be substantially vertical.

In a device of the class described, a truck, supports carried by thetruck, a series of racks carried by said supports, and all of said racksbeing pivotally connected to the supports with their pivotal points invertical alinement, the upper one of said racks being substantially flatand the lower ones being so shaped that the body portions of the racksmay stand in substantially vertical positions when said racks areelevated.

6. In a device of the class described, two uprights, each having aseries of openings therein substantially round at their upper portionsand having narrowed straight sides at their lower portions, and a seriesof racks each comprising two flat pivotal supports mounted in theopenings of said uprights and so arranged that when said pivotalsupports are in the upper portions of said slots, the racks may rotatein said slots, and when the racks are moved to substantially verticalpositions, the flat supports will enter the narrow portions of saidslots and automatically secure the racks in substantially verticalpositions.

Des Moines, Iowa, Nov. 15, 1907.

S. F. CHRIsrY, M. E. BENNETT.

